The present invention relates to an optical packet switching system which permits high-speed efficient switching of an optical signal without converting it into an electrical signal, in a wide band communication network formed mainly using optical fibers.
In the conventional packet switches, a packet transmitted as an optical signal over a transmission line must be once converted into an electrical signal; therefore, the prior art switches have the shortcomings of involving a large-scale arrangement and impairing the high-speed property of light.